Need advice on next knife (Medford, ADV, Chaves, CRK, etc.)

T

timothydavidson

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Dec 8, 2015
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Hello! I recently sold some audio gear and want to buy a new knife. I have around $600 to spend, but I certainly don't have to spend it all. I know there are many great knife for 100-200, but now while I have the money is the best time to get a nice knife if I'm ever going to get one.

My only good knives are benchmade's (940-1, 930, infidel, and griptilians), and a Chris Reeve Small Sebenza 21 that I picked up about a month ago with Christmas money. I have to say that i absolutely love the sebenza. I love the shape and feel of it, and was the build quality.

A friend of mine also has a medford that I really like, and I actually really the size and shape of it. I have the opportunity to buy a Praetorian T for $520.

I'm also really curious about the Chaves 228

What's the best knife I can get for under 600?
  • Medford Praetorian T
  • Strider
  • ADV Trailboss
  • Chris Reeve Large Sebenza
  • Southard Avo
  • Other
 
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If the Praet T is in good shape, you would be pretty safe at that price, ie could recover your $ if you decide to sell later. I had a Praet T and miss it; will likely buy another eventually, or perhaps a Micro Praetorian (which is more in keeping with your other knives in terms of size).
 
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If you absolutely love the sebenza, go for the large. I love both mine.
 
I still have a few CRK's in the safe. Large Sebs and Zaan. I like the Zaan and best and carried it for about a year.
However, my EDC for the last 14 months has been my Brad Southard AVO. I am in no hurry to change.
It is the perfect size for my large hand, but NOT as large as the large Sebbie grip. The AVO does everything right for me.
Advice: Don't get too thick of a blade UNLESS you really need such heavy-duty. Stay at 0.140" or less for general duty.
Some of the dimensions are:
grip thkness: 0.460"
blade thkness: 0.140"
0.024" behind the edge
3.33" blade (tip to grip)
4.5" grip length

Very comfy in my hand.. Rock-solid, no-stick goodness...This is NICE!
 
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I really like the Sebenza and along with the Southard, I think are the most practical. You mentioned some really thick blades, Chaves, ADV, Medford. I tend to find them a little impractical, but cool none the less. I recently picked up an ADV butcher and like it more than I thought, but honestly it will probably never get into my EDC rotation.
 
I must be the only one disappointed with the small Sebenza.

The thing is so hard to open. MIght have to let it go.
 
I'm really thinking about picking up a Large Sebenza! I would have some money left over and I know that it would be a knife I would EDC.
 
Officer's Match said:
If the Praet T is in good shape, you would be pretty safe at that price, ie could recover your $ if you decide to sell later. I had a Praet T and miss it; will likely buy another eventually, or perhaps a Micro Praetorian (which is more in keeping with your other knives in terms of size).
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That's one of the reasons I'm strongly thinking about getting the Praetorian T. I feel like i could get my money back easily. How did you like your's when you had/ how was the quality. Also, did you EDC it? I'm borrowing my friend's today and it sort of disappears in the pocket. I think I could easily EDC it.

Also, I'm not just a CRK fanboy, but when I got mine a few weeks ago I really saw what a nice $350 feels like. It's made extremely well, and "feels" like a $350 knife. Did the Medford feel that way for you?

Thanks for the advice!
 
showtime240 said:
I must be the only one disappointed with the small Sebenza.

The thing is so hard to open. MIght have to let it go.
Click to expand...

You're not the only one who has had this thought, I know. When I fist got my Sebenza 25, it had a similar problem, but you have to get used to avoiding putting pressure on the lockbar with your fingers when you're opening it (you have to do this with most framelocks), and you also have to let the knife break in a little bit before you really get it to move the way you want it to.
After opening and closing my Sebenza several times, it got much easier to do, and now, after several thousand times opening and closing it, and several cleanings over time, then knife will drop closed when you release the lock, and while it is still a little stiff to open sometimes, now it's more because that's where I like having my pivot tuned, which shouldn't be an issue for you if you have a 21.


That being said, I think that the Sebenza is likely the "best" knife in that group, with the Avo being a really close second, but that doesn't mean that those are the knives that you have to get. Get what you think you would like the most, and if you're wrong, just hope that it doesn't cost you much to sell that one and try again.
That's the reality of our hobby: you're going to have some knives that you should like for so many reasons but you just don't, and some that you should like for so many reasons but just can't. You've got to figure out what works for you, generally the hard way.

I will say that Medfords on the whole don't appeal to me, but if you want to talk about a knife that is hard to open when it's new...man, they're famous for it. Most people have to break in their Medford knives with both hands before they can even get it open with one hand. Not a bad thing, but worth mentioning.
I'm more or less not a fan of them because they're so heavy, and they don't seem to offer much in exchange for the weight. They also just don't appeal to me aesthetically.
 
timothydavidson said:
That's one of the reasons I'm strongly thinking about getting the Praetorian T. I feel like i could get my money back easily. How did you like your's when you had/ how was the quality. Also, did you EDC it? I'm borrowing my friend's today and it sort of disappears in the pocket. I think I could easily EDC it.

Also, I'm not just a CRK fanboy, but when I got mine a few weeks ago I really saw what a nice $350 feels like. It's made extremely well, and "feels" like a $350 knife. Did the Medford feel that way for you?

Thanks for the advice!
Click to expand...

I did carry my Praetorian T, and it was summer too. It doesn't always show in pictures how slim overall the Praetorian T (and G) are, and I really liked it too. I do feel the quality is superb; the Arktika I'm presently enjoying is a marvel in terms of tight tolerances and molten butter smoothness (pivot action) - practical or no, there is just something about thumb-flicking a quarter inch thick 4 1/2" blade open with an authoritative thwack. In spite of it's massive appearance, it really is a useful tool.

What blade is the one you are considering (drop point or tanto; tumbled, vulcan, black oxide or PVD)?
 
For what it's worth, I don't think you will be disappointed in the Medford Praetorian T. Had lots of CRKs, then Benchmades. Now, the only knives I will spend my hard earned money on are either Medfords or Direwares. Never been disappointed in the build quality of any Medford, although (by design) they can take a while to break in...
 
For other suggestions I would consider a Hinderer XM-24. I personally have the skinner and love it. Of course every knife mentioned so far is a fantastic knife. I always tell customers to buy what appeals most to them. If they don't they will be back for it soon enough! Let us know what you decide?
 
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